Fluid flow location identification system and method of determining location of flow contributions in a commingled fluid

ABSTRACT

A fluid flow location identification system includes, a tubular having at least a first opening and a second opening therethrough, wherein the first component is degraded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to an inside of the tubular through the first opening and the second component is degraded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to the inside of the tubular through the second opening. Trace amounts of a first identifier are releasable into fluid degrading the first component, trace amounts of a second identifier are releasable into fluid degrading the second component. The trace amounts of the first identifier and the trace amounts of the second identifier are detectable in fluid after having comingled to allow determination of whether each of the first opening and the second opening have fluid flowing therethrough.

BACKGROUND

Tubular systems often have multiple openings through which fluid can flow to thereby commingle with fluid already flowing within the tubular. It may be beneficial for an operator to know whether fluid is flowing through one or more openings along a tubular. It may additionally be beneficial for the operator to be able to determine how much flow is being contributed to the total commingled flow from each of a plurality of openings along the tubular. The hydrocarbon recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration industries are examples of where such knowledge could be financially rewarding. Systems and methods that allow one to determine such things are therefore of interest to those who practice in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein is a fluid flow location identification system. The system includes, a tubular having at least a first opening and a second opening therethrough, a first component is in operable communication with the first opening and a second component is in operable communication with the second opening such that the first component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to an inside of the tubular through the first opening and the second component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to the inside of the tubular through the second opening. A first identifier in operable communication with the first component, trace amounts of the first identifier are releasable into fluid eroding the first component as the first component is eroded, and a second identifier in operable communication with the second component, trace amounts of the second identifier are releasable into fluid eroding the second component as the second component is eroded. The trace amounts of the first identifier and the trace amounts of the second identifier are detectable in fluid after having comingled to allow determination of whether each of the first opening and the second opening have fluid flowing therethrough.

Further disclosed herein is a method of determining location of flow contributions in a commingled fluid. The method includes, flowing fluid through at least a first opening in a tubular past a first component having a first identifier, eroding the first component with the fluid flowing therepast, and releasing trace amounts of the first identifier from the first component into the fluid flowing therepast. Flowing fluid through at least a second opening in the tubular past a second component having a second identifier, eroding the second component with the fluid flowing therepast, releasing trace amounts of the second identifier from the second component into the fluid flowing therepast, and determining whether fluid is flowing through the first opening and the second opening by detecting trace amounts of the first identifier and trace amounts of the second identifier in a flowing commingled fluid.

Further disclosed herein is a fluid flow location identification system. The system includes, a tubular having at least one opening therethrough, a component in operable communication with the at least one opening such that the component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to an inside of the tubular through the at least one opening, and an identifier in operable communication with the component, trace amounts of the identifier are releasable into fluid eroding the component as the component is eroded, the trace amounts of the identifier are detectable in fluid after having comingled with other fluid flowing within the tubular to allow determination of whether or not the at least one opening has fluid flowing therethrough.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic of a fluid flow location identification system disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cross sectional view of a component and an identifier disclosed herein; and

FIG. 3 depicts a partial cross sectional view of another component and identifier disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a fluid flow location identification system disclosed herein is illustrated at 10. The system 10 includes, a tubular 14 having a wall 18 with a first opening 22 and a second opening 26 therethrough, although any practical number of openings can be employed. A first component 32 is in operable communication with the first opening 22 and a second component 36 is in operable communication with the second opening 26 such that the first component 32 is eroded at least by a first fluid 42 flowing from an outside 40 of the tubular 14 to an inside 44 of the tubular 14 through the first opening 22 and the second component 36 is eroded at least by a second fluid 46 flowing from an outside 50 of the tubular 14 to the inside 44 of the tubular 14 through the second opening 26. A first identifier 52 is in operable communication with the first component 32. Trace amounts of the first identifier 52 are releasable into the first fluid 42 as it erodes the first component 32. A second identified 56 is in operable communication with the second component 36. Trace amounts of the second identifier 56 are releasable into the second fluid 46 as it erodes the second component 36. The trace amounts of the first and the second identifiers 52, 56 are detectable in a third fluid 48, which is a commingling of at least the first fluid 42 with the second fluid 46, to allow determination of which of the first opening 22 and the second opening 26 has fluid flowing therethrough.

It should be appreciated that the first opening 22 and the second opening 26 can each consist of a plurality of openings. Also, just a single opening or additional openings beyond the two openings 22, 26, illustrated in this one embodiment can be distributed along the tubular 14 with each of the additional openings having a unique identifier associated therewith. The teachings disclosed herein apply equally as well to all embodiments regardless of the number of openings (and associated identifiers) employed.

Also, the components 32, 36 can be located in different positions in different embodiments. For example, in one embodiment also illustrated in FIG. 1 the first component 32A and the second component 36A are located on the inside 44 of the tubular 14.

Regardless of where the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A are positioned, the system 10 allows for determinations to be made as to whether fluid is flowing in through each of the openings 22, 26. In an embodiment having the components 32, 36 located outside of the tubular 14, such that they are not exposed to fluid flowing on the inside 44 of the tubular 14, any concentration of the identifiers 52, 56 in the commingled third fluid 48 indicate that fluid is flowing through the opening associated with that particular one of the identifiers 52, 56. Conversely, the absence of one of the identifiers 52, 56 indicates that negligible fluid is flowing through the associated opening.

Whether or not a particular opening has fluid flowing therethrough can still be determined in embodiments having the components 32A, 36A on the inside 44 of the tubular 14 such that fluid from openings other than the opening 22, 26 associated with a particular one of the identifiers 52, 56 flows past the components 32A, 36A. This determination is done so in a different way. Instead of the mere presence of traces of the identifier 52, 56 in the fluid 48 being sufficient to determine whether an opening is producing, concentrations of the identifier 52, 56 of interest must be determined first. This concentration is then compared against concentrations of other identifiers 52, 56 within the commingled third fluid 48. By configuring the system 10 such that concentrations of the identifiers 52, 56 in any fluid flowing therepast is proportional to the flow rate of fluid therepast, determination can be made as to whether a particular one of the openings 22, 26 is producing or not. Essentially, the greater the flow rate past one of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A the faster it will erode and the greater the concentration of the identifier 52, 56 in the commingled third fluid 48.

Closures 60, illustrated herein as sleeves that are slidably sealingly engaged with the tubular 14, can be moved to uncover and open the openings 22, 26 they are associated with, or to cover and thereby close the openings 22, 26 they are associated with (the sleeves 60 are illustrate in an open position in FIG. 1). The sleeves 60 can also be positioned between a fully closed and fully open position to throttle fluid flowing through the openings 22, 26 thereby acting as a flow control device. The sleeves 60 provide an operator with the ability to close any openings that are producing an undesirable fluid, such as water, for example.

Referring to FIG. 2, control of timing of erosion of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A can be provided by sealing the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A within a shell 64. The shell 64 can prevent erosion of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A until the shell 64 is breached thereby preventing release of traces of the identifiers 52, 56. The shell 64 can be configured through material selection, thickness, and disintegration, for example, to degrade within a target environment over a selected time period. The target environment can include selected fluid flow rates as well as slurry having abrasive particulates. Alternatively, the target environment can be a fluid with properties that cause degradation of the shell 64. In one embodiment the shell 64 could be manufactured from a high strength controlled electrolytic metallic material that is degradable in brine, acid, or aqueous fluid, for example. A variety of suitable materials for the shell 64 and their methods of manufacture are described in United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0135953 (Xu et al.), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Referring to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment employs a cap 68 instead of the shell 64 to prevent erosion of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A until the cap 68 is breached after having been eroded or degraded sufficiently to allow the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A to start eroding and releasing trace amounts of the identifiers 52, 56 in the process.

Regardless of whether the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A are on the inside 44 or the outside 40, 50 of the tubular 14, or even in between, the shape, size, orientation and location of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A can vary. For example, the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A can be in the shape of a tubular, or ring, a billet or even a functional part such as a bolt that is threadably engagable within a hole for location purposes. By assuring that at least a portion of the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A are located within a fluid flow stream should assure that erosion will take place in response to the flowing fluid.

The identifiers 52, 56 can be made of a variety of materials. For example, the identifiers 52, 56 could be made of cloth, with each having a color different from all the others. As the components 32, 32A, 36, 36A erode, traces or bits of the cloth will be released into the fluid flowing therepast. The presence of each color of cloth in the commingled third fluid 48 would indicated fluid flowing through the opening 22, 26 associated with that color of cloth Configuring the cloth so that trace amounts released therefrom are proportional to the amount of fluid flowing therepast could allow an operator to determine such flows and thus determine contribution to the commingled flow rate provided through each of the openings 22, 26. In an industry such as the hydrocarbon recovery industry, for example, wherein the tubular 14 is a production string positioned within a wellbore 72 in an earth formation 76 this knowledge could allow a well operator to determine which zones 80, 84, separated by packers 88 along the wellbore 72 are contributing to the overall production and even how much each is contributing. Cement 90 can be sealingly engaged to the wellbore 72 and the tubular 14 between the openings 22 and 26.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A fluid flow location identification system, comprising: a tubular having at least a first opening and a second opening therethrough; a first component being in operable communication with the first opening and a second component being in operable communication with the second opening such that the first component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to an inside of the tubular through the first opening and the second component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to the inside of the tubular through the second opening; a first identifier in operable communication with the first component, trace amounts of the first identifier being releasable into fluid eroding the first component as the first component is eroded; and a second identifier in operable communication with the second component, trace amounts of the second identifier being releasable into fluid eroding the second component as the second component is eroded, the trace amounts of the first identifier and the trace amounts of the second identifier being detectable in fluid after having comingled to allow determination of whether each of the first opening and the second opening have fluid flowing therethrough.
 2. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component is positioned outside of the tubular.
 3. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein the first opening and the second opening can be occluded when a closure in operable communication therewith covers the respective opening.
 4. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein the first component and the second component each include a shell that prevents release of the first identifier and the second identifier until the shell has been breached.
 5. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 4, wherein the shell is breachable in response to erosion.
 6. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 4, wherein the shell is breachable in response to degradation.
 7. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 6, wherein the degradation is in response to exposure to a target environment.
 8. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein an amount of each identifier released into the fluid is proportional to a flow rate of fluid flowing therepast.
 9. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein flow rates through each of the openings is determinable by analysis of concentrations of the identifier in operable communication with the respective opening.
 10. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 9, wherein proportions of the traces of the first identifier and the traces of the second identifier in a comingled fluid are proportional to the flow rates through the first opening and the second opening.
 11. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 1, wherein the tubular is positioned within a borehole in an earth formation.
 12. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 11, wherein fluid flows from the earth formation through the first opening and the second opening.
 13. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 11, wherein packers seal the tubular to the earth formation between the first opening and the second opening.
 14. The fluid flow location identification system of claim 11, wherein cement seals the tubular to the earth formation between the first opening and the second opening.
 15. A method of determining location of flow contributions in a commingled fluid, comprising: flowing fluid through at least a first opening in a tubular past a first component having a first identifier; eroding the first component with the fluid flowing therepast; releasing trace amounts of the first identifier from the first component into the fluid flowing therepast; flowing fluid through at least a second opening in the tubular past a second component having a second identifier; eroding the second component with the fluid flowing therepast; releasing trace amounts of the second identifier from the second component into the fluid flowing therepast; and determining whether fluid is flowing through the first opening and the second opening by detecting trace amounts of the first identifier and trace amounts of the second identifier in a flowing commingled fluid.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising releasing the first identifier and the second identifier into the fluid at a rate proportional to a flow rate of fluid therepast.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising only flowing fluid past the first component that flows through the first opening and only flowing fluid past the second component that flows through the second opening.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising isolating the first identifier from erosion unit a shell covering the first component has been breached.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising breaching the shell with erosion from the flowing fluid.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising breaching the shell by degradation of the shell.
 21. A fluid flow location identification system, comprising: a tubular having at least one opening therethrough; a component in operable communication with the at least one opening such that the component is eroded at least by fluid flowing from an outside of the tubular to an inside of the tubular through the at least one opening; and an identifier in operable communication with the component, trace amounts of the identifier being releasable into fluid eroding the component as the component is eroded, the trace amounts of the identifier being detectable in fluid after having comingled with other fluid flowing within the tubular to allow determination of whether or not the at least one opening has fluid flowing therethrough. 